High-pressure behavior of microporous materials: crystal-fluid interactions and deformation mechanisms at the atomic scale
Zeolite are microporous aluminosilicates characterized by a tetrahedral framework forming a 3-D system of channels and cages, in which an extra-framework population (e.g., H2O molecules, Na+, K+, Ca2+…) can be host. Thanks to their unique features (e.g., molecular sieving, reversible and spontaneous cation-exchange capacity, catalytic activity, pressure-induced over-hydration effect, ...) and temperature-stability (if compared, for example, to mesoporous materials), zeolites are currently employed in many industrial processes, among which the one of the most relevant is the methanol-to-olefins conversion, in which the zeolitic framework acts as a subnano-reactor. From a geological point of view, zeolites could act as an ideal carrier of H2O and/or other small molecules of geological interest (e.g., He, Ar, Kr, Xe, CO2, CH4, H2S) in subduction zones. Pressure was proved to enhance the penetration of external molecules through the cavities. Thus, their study under extreme conditions (i.e., H-P, H-T) may play a critical role for predicting the properties of multi-phase systems of geological interest. In the last decade, the scientific community showed a rising interest on the behaviour, at H-P conditions, of microporous and mesoporous compounds, and in particular on the crystal-fluid interaction promoted under extreme conditions. In this presentation, I will describe the results of my last 4-years of research activity on zeolite and zeolite-like materials under extreme conditions.
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